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These are the 5 hats I donated to the veterans at the “Knitters Unite” night at the Hunterdon County Library. All of them followed the same basic design I’m describing here.

You’ve probably noticed I make Alex a fair number of hats. They are the only knitted thing I make that he will wear (he did say last week I can make him socks, but I haven’t done it yet). But he loves my beanies, and he’s always coming to me with requests to make hats for his friends. Last year, his friend B.J. asked for hats for both her teenagers, and she told me my beanies were as good as the ones that one of the big mail-order companies that were charging $95 last year.

Well, I was using acrylic yarn, so no, my hats wouldn’t sell for that as much, but hey, Alex and his friends are all wearing them. And Alex wants more for Christmas presents for his roommates. They’re easy to make. I’ve been making this basic hat, with variations, for years, with stitch counts I’ve hit on with trial and error, and it’s time I print it here for free.

Materials

Sometimes just a couple of stripes is all you need.

A skein of worsted-weight yarn. 3.5 oz. is probably plenty. If you have some odds and ends, put them together and make stripes or do a Fair Isle pattern if you want.

At least one size 7 or 8 circular needle. It really doesn’t matter how you decrease at the top of the hat: Use the Magic Loop, double-pointed needles or two short circs. I generally do it with two 16 inch needles as described below.

You also will need a tapestry or darning needle that has an eye big enough to sew in your ends when you finish your hat. Some people prefer to use a crochet hook. That’s fine, too.

Personally, I don’t even do the ribbing at the cuff of the hat on smaller needles anymore. I used to do it on size 6 needles, but I find that the tightness hurts my head. So I generally use one size needle for the whole thing.

Cast on and cuff

Cast on 100 stitches. I do this on a 16-inch circular needle, usually a size 7.

K2, p2 across the entire cast-on (25 times), then join the two ends and start working everything in the round. When I finish the hat, I use the tail from the cast on to sew the two ends together below where I join the rounds. This makes the join invisible and it makes it easier to make sure you haven’t twisted the cast-on when you joined the ends. But if you want to join the two ends immediately, go ahead. It’s your hat.

K2, p2 all around, every round, until you have knitted at least a 4-inch cuff (that’s 10 cm). Over the years, I’ve found that if you knit 4 inches and fold it in half so that you have a doubled 2- inch cuff, it keeps your ears warmer and it looks great. If you make it much bigger, it takes over the hat. If you make it smaller, it doesn’t cover your ears well. I make all hats with doubled cuffs now because they keep ears warmer. But if you don’t want a doubled cuff, or if you are short on yarn, make the cuff about 2 inches.

Body

Here’s my first hat for Ruth. The second one is already on my needles.

In the next row, work 25 stitches, knitting in the front and back of the 25th stitch. Do this three more times. You will have 104 stitches on the needle. That breaks down to 8 x 13 or 4 x 26. This is important to know if you are going to add a pattern to the hat.

Generally for Alex, I do a simple basketweave pattern: k4, p4 for four rows. Then p4, k4 for for rows. And I alternate between these two sequences for 28 rows before starting the crown.

You also can do this hat with cables. If you’re doing cables, though, start with a size 7 needle, then switch to a size 8 needle when you do the increase round, going from 100 to 104 stitches.

As you may have guessed from reading about the basketweave stitch on Alex’s hats, I generally knit about 28 to 30 rows before I start the dome at the top of the hat. If I am knitting with thicker yarn on size 8 needles, I may only do 25 rows. I usually keep trying the hat on as I make it, and if it feels comfortable, then I just follow the shape of my head. I should warn you that I have a bigger head than most, but at least I know that if the hat feels good, it’s big enough.

Decreases in the crown

Round 1: Work 6 stitches in whatever stitch pattern you are using. Knit the 7th and 8th stitches together. If you are knitting stockinette, that’s fine. If you are knitting a stitch pattern like the basketweave or cables, you can do the decreases wherever you think they fit best in the pattern, as long as you do 13 of them. At the end of this round, you should have 91 stitches.

Round 2 and all even rounds to round 12: Work all stitches in the established pattern.

Round 3: Work 5 stitches in established pattern, knit 2 together. Repeat this 12 more times. You should have 78 stitches at the end of this round.

Round 5: Work 4 stitches in established pattern, knit 2 together. Repeat this 12 more times. You should have 65 stitches at the end of this round.

Round 7: Work 3 stitches in established pattern, knit 2 together; repeat this 12 more times. You should have 52 stitches at the end of this round. At this point, if you have all your stitches on a 16-inch circular needle, your needle will be too big for the number of stitches. Switch to whatever method you want to accommodate the shorter rounds. Generally, I add a second circular needle to the last 26 stitches and keep knitting the two halves much like someone might knit on double-pointed needles.

Round 9: Work 2 stitches in established pattern, knit 2 together; repeat 12 times more. Actually, by this time, you might want to just do stockinette. You should be down to 39 stitches.

Round 11: K1, k2 together, then do it again 12 more times. You should have 26 stitches.

Round 13: K2 together all the way around. You should have 13 stitches left.

Round 14: K2 together all the way around. You should have 7 stitches left. Cut your yarn, leaving at least a 3 inch tail. With your tapestry needle, thread that yarn through the last 7 stitches remaining. Do this several times, then weave what’s left into the stitches so it doesn’t show. Then go back and weave any other ends that might be sticking out, including the tail where you cast-on.

It takes me about 5 or 6 hours to knock one of these beanies out. And they’re fun. Give it a try.

“Itty-bitty toys” is a new book filled with knitted toys for children age toddler to elementary school.

Today, as promised, I’m posting the baby lamb pattern from Susan B. Anderson’s book, “itty-bitty toys.”
This pattern is printed with permission and is supplied by the publisher, Artisan Books, a division of Workman Publishing Co. in New York. The photos are done by Liz Banfield. This material is copyrighted and available to our readers for their personal use. Readers are NOT authorized to make unlimited copies and distribute it freely, but they can refer other people to this site so that those people can make their own copies.

Lamb

Every knitter loves a knitted lamb, both to have and to make. The boucle yarn used for the body and the curly topknot are perfect for creating that wooly look. The legs are cleverly constructed of I-cords stuffed with straws, which allow the lamb to stand on its own. His thoughtful expression and mop of hair are my favorite features. Make one for your favorite child and another for your favorite knitter—they’ll both love it.

U.S. size 4 set of four double-pointed needles, or size needed to obtain gauge

Yarn needle

Scissors

Measuring tape or ruler

Stitch marker

Black embroidery floss

Polyester fiberfill, 1 small bag

Poly pellets (optional), 32-ounce bag

1 drinking straw

Gauge

6 sts per inch in stockinette stitch for the body

Back end

With Off-White and two double-pointed needles used as straight needles, cast on 4 stitches.

Row 1: kfb, k to last stitch, kfb (6 sts)

Row 2: pfb, p to last stitch, pfb (8 sts)

Rows 3 and 4: repeat rows 1 and 2 (12 sts)

Work in stockinette stitch (see p.00) until the back end measures 2 inches from the cast-on edge, ending with a purl row.

Decrease rows

Row 1: ssk, k to last 2 stitches, k2tog (10 sts remain)

Row 2: p2tog, p to last 2 stitches, p2tog (8 sts remain)

Rows 3 and 4: repeat rows 1 and 2 (4 sts remain)

Body

Continue on from the back end.

Knit the 4 stitches on the needle, then on the same needle pick up 10 stitches (see p.00), on a second double-pointed needle pick up 14 stitches, and on a third double-pointed needle pick up 14 stitches. (14 sts per needle, 42 sts total)

Place a stitch marker on the first stitch, and begin working in the round.

Increase round: (kfb, k to the last stitch, kfb), repeat on each needle (16 sts per needle, 48 sts total)

Repeat the increase round one more time (18 sts per needle, 54 sts total)

Knit every round until the body measures 2 inches above the pickup round

Round 15: k2tog, repeat to end of round (2 sts per needle, 6 sts total remain)

Finish stuffing. Cut the yarn, leaving a 6-inchlong tail, and thread the tail on a yarn needle. Pull the end through the remaining stitches, gather up tight to close the hole, and stitch to secure (see p.00). Weave the end to the inside and trim.

Tail

With Off-White, cast on 12 stitches, placing 4 stitches on each of three double-pointed needles. Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches. Place a stitch marker on the first stitch.

Knit every round until the tail measures 1⁄2 inch from the cast-on edge.

Cut the yarn, leaving a 6-inch-long tail, and thread on a yarn needle. Pull the end through the remaining stitches, gather up tight to close the hole, and stitch to secure. Weave the end to the inside and trim. Thread the tail from the cast-on edge on a yarn needle. Whipstitch the tail to the top of the back end. Weave the end to the inside and trim.

Legs (make 4)

With Sand and two double-pointed needles used as straight needles, cast on 4 stitches. Work in I-cord (see p.00) until the leg measures 1 inch from the cast-on edge. Bind off. Cut the yarn and pull through the remaining stitch. Cut the drinking straw to fit inside of the I -cord. Push the straw inside of the I -cord and set aside.

Feet (make 4)

With Sand, cast on 9 stitches, placing 3 stitches on each of three double-pointed needles. Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches. Place a stitch marker on the first stitch.

Thread the tail from the cast-on stitches on a yarn needle. Stitch through all of the stitches in the cast-on row and gather up, pulling tight to close the hole. Stitch to secure. Fill the foot with poly pellets or stuff with fiberfill. The foot is supposed to be flat, not rounded.

Cut the yarn, leaving a 6-inch-long tail, and thread on a yarn needle. Pull through the remaining stitches, gather up tight to close the hole, and stitch to secure. Weave the end to the inside and trim.

Whipstitch the feet to the back top of the legs with the cast-on tail from the legs threaded on a yarn needle, using the photograph as a guide. Whipstitch the leg to the bottom of the body, using the bound-off tail threaded on a yarn needle.

Head

With Sand, cast on 9 stitches, placing 3 stitches on each of three double-pointed needles. Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches. Place a stitch marker on the first stitch.

Finish stuffing. Cut the yarn, leaving a 6-inchlong tail, and thread the end on a yarn needle. Pull the end through the remaining stitches, gather up tight to close the hole, and stitch to secure. This is the nose end of the head.

Pull the tail through to the bottom side of the head and whipstitch to the front top of the body, using the photograph as a guide.

Ears (make 2)

With Sand, cast on 6 stitches, placing 2 stitches on each of three double-pointed needles. Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches. Place a stitch marker on the first stitch.

Cut the yarn, leaving a 6-inch-long tail, and thread the end on a yarn needle. Pull the end

through the remaining stitches, pull tight to close the hole, and stitch to secure. Weave the end to the inside and trim. Thread the tail from the cast-on stitches on a yarn needle. Whipstitch the ears to the head, using the photograph as a guide.

Hair

With Off-White and two double-pointed needles used as straight needles, cast on 4 stitches and begin to work in twisted loop stitch.

Row 1: complete the twisted loop stitch in every stitch, as follows: knit the stitch and leave it on the left needle.

Pull the loop that is on the right needle out about 2–3 inches (depending on how long the

twist should be). Transfer the loop onto your right index finger. Twist the loop in one direction until it folds back on itself.

Place the loop back on the left needle. Knit the two stitches together.

Row 2: purl

Row 3: repeat row 1

Row 4: p2tog twice (2 sts remain)

Bind off. Cut the yarn and pull through the last stitch, leaving a 6-inch-long tail. Thread the tail on a yarn needle and whipstitch the hair to the top of the head between the ears. Weave the end to the inside and trim.

About the author

Pam MacKenzie
Our real estate editor, Pam MacKenzie, expresses her creative side in this blog about knitting. Pam learned to knit at age 6, when her friend’s mother made Pam’s doll a dress, and Pam wanted to make more. Her mother wanted her to learn how to sew in high school, but she was afraid of the sewing machines, cutting fabric the wrong way, and the potential that sewing would have for bringing down her grade-point average. Every year, she managed to find a course conflict to avoid sewing classes. But the day after high school graduation, she took her graduation money to a fabric store, bought a kit to make a sweater, taught herself to read patterns and never looked back. These days, she knits a prayer shawl every month, along with sweaters, tote bags, gift bags and other goodies. She also designs many of her projects. Read More About PamE-mail Pam